Freelance Writing

To make more money as a freelance writer, you can simply raise your project fees or hourly rate. As you can imagine, when you begin to charge more you will begin to earn more as well. Of course, there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to raising freelance writing rates.

1. Never increase your rates too much. In my opinion, anything more than a 10 percent increase at a time is probably too much. Could you get away with more? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But in the interest of not annoying clients, you do not want to get out of control.

2. You cannot get away with increasing your rates every month. Instead, make sure that you only do so once a year at the most. Many freelance writers have a set month each year when they consider raising their rates. For the most part, the best month of the year to do this is January; but it is up to you.

3. When current clients ask why your rates have increased, make sure that you have a good answer. You can’t say, “Because I felt like it.” If you are rude to clients who ask this question, they may decide to move onto another writer.

4. What will you do when a client says that your new rates are too high for them? Will you cut them a break, or stick to your guns? Remember, if you immediately offer them the old rate just to keep their business, they will think that they are not subject to any changes in the future. This is not to say that you should never negotiate, but be very careful with what you say and do.

5. Before you raise your rates, research the industry as well as what other freelance writers are charging. Even if you are a great writer, charging more than everybody else may not get you very far. When your rates are among the highest of the high, you can only attract a special type of clientele.

Simply put, when you raise your freelance writing rates you will see an increase in income. The only way that this will not work out is if your current clients begin to drop you because you have asked for too much. Keep the above tips in mind so that you can increase your rates each year without putting anybody off. 

There used to be a day when freelance writers had to send query letters to editors via snail mail. While this is still commonplace to a certain extent, in most cases you should be able to make contact via email. This is always easier than sending regular mail, but along with this form of communication comes several do’s and don’ts.

Here are three tips for successfully communicating with editors via email.

1. Your initial email needs to be perfect. This means that your query letter should include all of the proper information, and just as importantly, it needs to be free of typos. If you are going to find your contacts in Writer’s Market, you will also be able to find information on what to include in your query letter.

On a side not, you should personalize every email that you send. In other words, do not use a generic email for every editor that you contact. If you do, they will see right through this and it will greatly hurt your chances of a response.

2. Many people would rather email editors because it is quicker and simpler than snail mail. But unless you know for sure that the editor accepts email queries, you do not want to go this route. Remember, not every editor likes to receive tons of email. Many of them prefer the old fashion query letter sent through the mail.

3. Make sure that you include all of your contact information in your first email to an editor. When sending a letter by mail, this is something that most people remember 99 percent of the time. But when it comes to email, they often times forget. In addition to your email address, you will also want to include your phone number and mailing address. This way, the editor has all of the information they need to get in touch with you in a number of different ways.

Keep these tips in mind when communicating with editors via email. They are particularly useful for the initial contact with an editor.

Many people are under the impression that freelance writers work a lot for very little pay; sort of like struggling musicians. While this can be the case for some, there are just as many who are earning solid wages. One of the quickest ways to increase your freelance writing income is to break into the markets that pay the most money. Early in my career, one of my main goals was to find publications that paid $1/word or more. Writing for publications like this can quickly turn a meager income into a substantial income. After all, one feature length article could work out to a couple thousand dollars.

Now that you have seen the income potential, you are probably interested in learning how to break into these markets, right? Here are three tips to follow.

1. Before you can do anything else, you need gain some experience. Remember, you cannot start out earning $1/word. You must first gain experience with lesser known publications, and then work your way up. There is no easy way around this. 

2. While you are working lower paying gigs, take the time to compile a list of publications that pay $1/word or more. This way, you can begin to align your career to match what these publications are looking for. For instance, if you want to break into high paying fashion magazines, write for lower paying publications in this industry. This will allow you to gain relative experience and work samples. To find these publications, buy a copy of Writer’s Market, or become a member of their online service.

3. Make as many connections as you can along the way. In several instances, I have had satisfied editors pass my name along to others in the industry. Additionally, you never know when a current connection will land a new job with a bigger publication. If this happens, you have a contact to call on from day one. Simply put, stay connected with as many editors and writers as possible.

It may take a while for you to break into these high paying markets. But when you do, your freelance writing career will become much more enjoyable. As you can imagine, becoming a regular writer for two or more of these publications will net you big time money. 

A couple weeks ago I made a post on the predicted PageRank of ChrisBlogging. At the time, I used several tools to predict this number, and most of them were showing that I would obtain a PageRank of 4. While these tools were close, they were not accurate. This past Saturday I learned that I obtained a PageRank of 3. Am I disappointed with this? Absolutely not!

For a blog that is only five months old, I am quite happy with a PageRank of 3. In fact, this is even with many of the “big name” bloggers who are earning hundreds of dollars per month with their blog. And with that being said, some of the best pro bloggers out there only have a PageRank of 4.

As you have probably read, Google decreased the PageRank of many well known blogs. Some have speculated that the reason for this is selling links, whereas others feel that this has nothing to do with it. Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to this. As I mentioned before, I do not put much time or effort into thinking about my PageRank. It is nice that it increased and I am now on par with some bigger blogs, but even then, I am not sure that it will do much for me.

Now that ChrisBlogging has a PageRank of 3 instead of 0, I should be able to ask more of advertisers when I begin to offer advertising space upon releasing my new design. Also, some readers have emailed me and mentioned that search engine traffic is sure to increase with a higher PageRank. Hopefully, they are right to a certain degree.

So, how were your blogs affected by the latest PageRank update? Did you see an increase, or did Google slap you on the wrist?

In the world of freelance writing, dealing with language barriers is quite common. And of course, the way that you deal with this issue could be the difference between securing a contract and being turned down.

From my experience, writing web content brings a lot of opportunities to work with people from other countries. While many see this as a negative, it is actually quite interesting to me. Of course, it does pose a problem in many cases because I only speak English. For this reason, I always proceed with extreme caution if I am dealing with a client that does not speak English as a first language.

In the past, I have had some issues with project details and pricing in these situations. For example, I was recently contacted by a potential client who’s English was noticeably bad. Luckily for me, he was open about his struggle with the language, and apologized in advance. But even then, I had my hands full sifting through what he was interested in. It can often times be difficult to decipher what the client wants. In this particular case, it took about 10 emails back and forth to finally narrow down the scope of the project.

When working with clients who do not speak great English, never take anything for granted. Make sure that you always double check the details, and that everything is laid out on the table from day one. This way, you can always go back to prior conversations should something get out of whack during the project completion process.

To go along with the actual details of the project, pricing is also very important. Once again, somebody who is not fluent in English may not understand the American Dollar. It is very important that you also come to terms on the exact cost of the project before you start.

Overall, I am open to working with anybody and everybody, regardless of location. After all, one of the greatest benefits of the internet is that it brings together people from all over the world. Just make sure that you have all the details in line if you are going to be working with somebody who is less than proficient in the English language. 

Patience is very important no matter what business venture you are getting involved with. Even the largest companies in the world had to go through growing pains, times of doubt, etc. Of course, there are others that took off from day one, but they are few and far between. When it comes to a career in freelance writing, this is something to keep in mind. Patience is essential if you are going to stay within this career field for an extended period of time.

As I have mentioned in the past, a freelance writing career can take months to get up and running. While I found some success after only three months, it was hard to make it that long without giving up. After all, I went from a corporate job earning a solid living to hoping that something would break my way so that I could pay the bills. Without patience, I would have been searching the classifieds after a month as a freelancer.

Of course, there is a big difference between knowing that you need to be patient and actually doing so. To hang in there when everything seems to be going wrong, you need to keep in mind that every job has its ups and downs. If you were to quit your freelance writing career and start applying for office jobs, what would happen? That’s right, you would have to deal with rejections, low offers of pay, and much more. Simply put, you may have a guaranteed income, but being a freelance writer is not the only career with uncertainty and doubt.

Overall, be patient when starting a freelance writing career. Before you ever start, come to the realization that you will be tested time after time. But remember, if you stick around, you will get to reap the rewards in the end. 

I know that a lot of people read this blog because they are interested in freelance writing. And even though I am glad to help through my experiences, there are other great blogs out there as well. One of my personal favorites is Michael Kwan’s Beyond the Rhetoric. Michael touches on everything from freelance writing myths to getting past haters who have nothing nice to say.

If you love reading blogs on freelance writing, this is one to add to your daily reading list. For over a year Michael has been churning out content that not only teaches about writing, but is also lighthearted at the same time. When it comes down to it, you will never get bored reading what he has to say.

Go back a couple months in the archives and start reading. When you are done, you will have a much better understanding of freelance writing, blogging, and the internet in general.

As you know, obtaining freelance writing work can be difficult. But at the same time, the actual writing process is not always a walk in the park. In fact, this can be every bit as trying if you do not stay organized and work through each project in a logical manner.

When planning your freelance writing work, there are several things that you should keep in mind.

1. For the most part, never trying completing a job in one day. While this may be possible for smaller projects, anything that is of substantial size should be broken down into separate components. For instance, if I have to write a 750 word sales letter, I will work on it as follows.

Day one: research the topic, collate information, and set up the file.
Day two: begin the writing process, and see how far I can get without additional research. Day three: complete additional research, and finish the first draft.
Day four: make changes, and work out any kinks.
Day five: proof the final copy, and send to the client.

As you can see, it is easier to spread this work out over five days than to do it all at once. Not only does it make the job easier on me, but it also helps to ensure the highest level of quality.

2. Never bite off more than you can chew. Even though it is nice to garner new freelance writing projects, you do not want to have too much work. While this sounds silly, it can be a serious problem. Imagine if you had 5 sales letters due on the same day. You would have to complete the five steps above, five times over. Of course, before you turn down any job make sure that you carefully consider what you are doing.

3. If possible, spread your deadlines throughout the week. It is always nice to have one or two projects due each day as opposed to five or more. I have been in this predicament, and it can make for a long workday; sometimes heading into the early hours of the morning.

Once you secure a freelance writing project you are halfway home. Just remember, you are being hired to write compelling copy. You cannot simply be happy with getting the job. You must also deliver quality work on time.

What type of freelance writing income do you strive to earn? If you work as a freelance writer on a full-time basis, it is safe to say that you are hoping to earn at least as much as you would at a 9 to 5 job. The problem is that many aspiring writers have a difficult time breaking the income barriers that they set up for themselves. This is a very common problem among newbies, and the main reason that many quit before too long.

Before you start a freelance writing career, you should have two questions on your mind:

1. How much money do I need to get by each month?
2. What is a realistic monthly income goal?

Let’s start with the first question because it is definitely the more important of the two. Generally speaking, as long as you are making enough money to cover your bills you will be able to sustain your freelance writing career until you begin to earn more. For example, if your bills total $1,500/month you need to make sure that you earn at least that much money. Of course, if you have some cash in the bank you can make less and still get by.

Moving onto question number two, you need to set a realistic monthly income goal to work towards. Even when you are making enough to cover your bills, you will be thinking about how much money you would really like to earn. After all, who wants to spend all of their income on nothing more than bills? Without going into all my monthly expenses, I strive to earn at least $4,500/month from freelance writing alone; this does not include other internet related ventures. This gives me more than enough money to pay my bills, invest some, and save the rest for whatever I want. Luckily, I usually earn at least a few hundred dollars more than my monthly goal.

One quick note: read over question number two above once again. Do you notice the word “realistic?” Sure, it would be nice if I could earn $15,000/month through freelance writing. But guess what? At this time, that much money is not realistic. Maybe in the future it will be, but not right now. The bottom line is you do not want to set goals that you have no chance of reaching in the foreseeable future.

When working for yourself, there are always going to be barriers standing in your way; especially when it comes to income. By answering the two questions above, you will be able to take the first step to breaking the freelance writing income barrier.

From what I have read, as well as my own findings, there are two ways to look at the number of blogs or websites that you own. First off, you can attempt to start one or two “major players” and put all of your time and effort into them. Your other option is to start several websites, and build out from there.

Obviously, there are pros and cons to each way of doing things. Let’s take a look at owning one or two main sites. The nice thing about this is that you will not have to spend time updating an abundant amount of sites. To go along with this, you can concentrate all of your free time on one site. In turn, this focus should help success to come sooner rather than later. The downside of this, if you are interested in making money, is that you will have to turn one big site into your revenue generator. Many feel that starting one main revenue generating stream is more difficult than several smaller ones.

On the other side of things, managing a group of blogs or websites has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. The main benefit is that you can earn less with each one, and when added together it can make for a solid income. On the other side of things, do you really have enough time to update a network of sites? For instance, could you effectively manage 10 blogs? Some people say yes, and if this is their full-time job they may be right. But jumping from one site to the next, and keeping track of all the details, can make for a difficult time.

Personally, I am divided on this subject. At this time, I have less than 10 sites, but am quickly closing in on double digits as more and more of my projects get finished. This is not a huge problem because I feel that I have enough time to manage them. But at the same time, I suppose that drawing the line is in the near future.

With all of that in mind, how many blogs or websites do you manage?